


A Slap of Relief

by WalkingFan



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Aggression, Fighting, M/M, Oral Sex, Prison setting, leads to smutty good stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-22
Updated: 2015-09-14
Packaged: 2018-04-16 15:10:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4629951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WalkingFan/pseuds/WalkingFan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daryl comes back from a run and he's pissed. Rick goes to check on him and gets more than he bargained for.</p><p>*Update* Now with a Part Two!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! It's been awhile since I've posted anything but ya know, life and whatnot. Kinda got inspired to write this a few days ago and I'm kinda happy with how it came out. Something about fighting scenes that are always fun for me to write. I will warn you that there is graphic depictions of fighting and fists being thrown in this, so if you aren't into that then you probably shouldn't read this. Otherwise, I really hope you enjoy!

Rick yawned as he bounced Judith on his knee and watched Carl flip through his stack of comic books at the table in the common area. His son had probably read them all about ten times each but he refused to put them down, even during dinner which secretly drove Rick crazy. Taking his last bite of the rabbit stew that Carol had made, he stood to take his empty bowl over to Beth, who was on dish duty.

She gave Judy’s chubby cheek a quick pinch as she grabbed the dish from Rick’s hand, leaving a smidge of suds that made them both smile. Rick wiped his daughter’s face off and went back to the table where Carol had sat down and started shuffling a deck of cards.

“Alright, it’s my turn to pick tonight. How’s rummy sound?” she asked everyone as she started to deal with an almost wicked grin.

There was a collective groan throughout the room with an especially loud one from Carl. “Aw…c’mon…” Rick’s son sighed, rolling his eyes for extra emphasis.

“Oh, you’re not that bad Carl. Well…at least not as bad as Hershel,” Rick joked and he smiled at the bearded older man sitting across from him. Hershel merely gave Rick one of his signature grins that spread all the way through his snowy white beard while he picked up his cards and started rearranging them in his hand.

Rick did the same with his own set that Carol had given him, having to hold his cards extra high to keep Judith from getting her sticky fingers on them. Just as they started the first round, Rick heard the sound of a car in the distance, along with the vague roar of a motorcycle, both starting low and then gradually getting louder.

“Sounds like they’re back,” Carol said absentmindedly as she laid down a seven of diamonds.

“Maybe they had some luck,” Hershel commented as he picked up the discarded seven and laid it down in front of him with two others from his hand. “What few meds we do have are starting to get low.”

Rick’s brow furrowed as he cursed inwardly. He was hoping to scoop that seven up. “Maybe they found some more of these,” Carl said and he tapped the stack of comic books next to him. Rick couldn’t help but smirk at the hopeful tone to his son’s voice.

“I’d just be happy with some more clothes for this little lady,” Rick added and he bounced Judith a little more on his knee. She’d already outgrown the clothes they’d gotten her last month and they’d been making do with a few handfuls of onesies. With as much as she’d spit up lately, poor Beth and Carol were doing laundry practically every other day.

Judith gurgled happily and clapped her hands together as Rick picked up a ten of hearts. Right as he was about to discard, there was a loud clatter that echoed throughout the prison. Everyone jumped a little, including Rick who recognized the sound as one of the prison doors being yanked open. The hair on the back of his neck immediately stood up because a sound like that could only mean bad news.

Everyone’s eyes focused on the doorway to see who would walk through first and you could feel the tension as people braced themselves for something that could be devastating. Each second ticked by at a snail’s pace, so five seconds ended up feeling like five minutes. But finally Daryl walked in, stomping with each step, and Rick slowly let go of the breath he’d unknowingly been holding in.

The hunter didn’t even bother to look up at anyone around the room. His eyes stayed on the cold concrete floor as his shoulders slumped and he stepped briskly towards the cellblock. He ended up walking right by Beth as she carried a stack of clean plates toward ones of the shelves, his shoulder brushing roughly against her and knocking her off balance. A couple of the plates tipped to the side but Beth was quick to right herself and save any from falling and breaking.

Daryl didn’t even give her a second look or so much as mutter a quick apology as he kept walking and Beth widened her eyes in surprise. Daryl was never usually this gruff, at least not anymore. When the group first got together, Daryl was very much a loner, considering himself an outcast. But after everything they’d been through together, he was just as much a part of this family as anyone else and he knew it. So to see him acting this way was strange.

Rick’s brows knitted together and his eyes immediately went to Carol who wore the same curious expression as Rick. She was Daryl’s closest friend here and usually she could gauge just about any mood that the man was in. A few seconds later, they heard the door open again, only much softer this time, and Glenn and Michonne walked in.

Their expressions weren’t nearly as cross as Daryl’s and now Rick really was intrigued as to what had happened out there. All three had come back so there weren’t any casualties, of which Rick was extremely grateful. He watched as Maggie jumped from the table and ran into Glenn’s arms, hugging him tight.

“Hey, what’s this?” he asked her with a soft smile.

“Daryl walked in and by the way he was acting, I was sure something had happened to you…” she replied quietly, pulling back to look into his eyes.

“Oh…uh…yea…” he said sheepishly and his eyes turned downcast before hugging her body close to his.

“Did something happen?” Rick piped up, standing from the table and walking over so they wouldn’t have to talk across the room.

“Well…” Glenn said a little hesitantly and he looked to Michonne. She rolled her eyes and started to pull off her sword and jacket, laying everything on the table. Carl’s hand immediately went for the blade and Rick nudged his son’s shoulder with the free hand that wasn’t holding Judith up, shaking his head to leave Michonne’s things alone. Carl sighed at the reprimand and Rick turned his attention back to the matters at hand.

“Got pinned down. We swept the pharmacy and everything looked clear. Must’ve missed a back door though. Me and Glenn were checking shelves up front while Daryl looked for meds behind the counter. Heard a struggle and we came running to find him on the floor with three on top of him. Using all he had to push them off. We took care of them…but it was close…”

Michonne’s face took on a somber expression and she plopped down at the table right next to Carl, her shoulders sagging like she couldn’t relax until she was finally behind the prison walls. “He didn’t have his bow?” Carol asked, her cards lay forgotten on the table.

“Nah, I think he sat it down on the counter for a second to grab something and got caught off guard,” Glenn answered with a shrug. “He was grabbing for his knife when we got there, but I don’t know if he would’ve made it…”

“He would’ve,” Rick said with confidence. There was no doubt in his mind that Daryl could take care of himself. Rick couldn’t even imagine living in this world without the hunter. He was someone that he depended on every single day and the thought of Daryl Dixon being taken down by walkers seemed almost like a joke to him now. Everyone else he worried about, but Daryl…no, not Daryl.

Rick shook his head instinctively at the mere thought of such a thing and looked back at Glenn who only shrugged and widened his eyes, as if to say that he didn’t know if the hunter would always be so lucky. Rick sighed and turned to sit back down, readying himself to talk about what they brought back from the run.

“I think I’ll go take him some supper. Food always makes a man happy,” Carol joked and she got up from the table. Rick gave her a small smile and a nod, letting her know that he was grateful for everything that she did. And Rick knew that if anyone could soothe Daryl’s tempered nerves about being pinned down like that, it had to be Carol.

She walked off and they got to talking about the various meds and other supplies they’d managed to bring back with Hershel brightening at the mention of finding antibiotics. Right as they started talking about what needed to be rationed, they heard some noise come from the direction of the cellblock. Following the noise, they heard a loud voice, most likely Daryl’s, yelling various things that they couldn’t quite make out.

Everyone quieted and listened closely, looking towards the cellblock doorway as if they could see what was happening. The yelling died out quickly though and a moment later they heard the quick pitter patter of footsteps and Carol walked back in. She must’ve known they’d all be waiting to see what the commotion had been because she put on a sardonic smirk and rolled her eyes.

“Guess he wasn’t hungry after all,” she chuckled half-heartedly and sat the full bowl in front of Carl. Never being one to waste things, at least not in the world they lived in now, Carl immediately started stuffing his mouth with the second helping of stew. Carol sank back down into her seat at the table and started gathering the cards they’d been playing with, placing them back in their box.

Glenn went back to listing things from the run and Maggie diligently wrote everything down on a notepad next to him but Rick wasn’t listening. He watched as Carol placed the cards in the middle of the table and then sigh deeply, sitting her elbow on the edge and resting her chin in her hand.

Rick couldn’t help but place a hand on her shoulder and give her a light squeeze, causing her to look up and meet his gaze. She gave him a small half-smile and rolled her eyes again but Rick could see a tinge of hurt in her expression. Daryl never yelled at Carol and Rick couldn’t think of a single reason why today’s events would change something like that.

Dropping his hand, Rick looked around the table and found Hershel’s attention focused on him. The older man seemed to have the same troubled thoughts and he gave Rick an almost imperceptible nod towards the cellblock. Rick dipped his chin in recognition and slowly stood from the table.

“Carl, watch your sister for a minute,” Rick said and he handed his daughter over. Carl gave a low sigh but Judith’s cooing had him smirking in only a few seconds. “I’ll be right back,” Rick said to no one in particular, more of a subtle announcement that he was leaving to get to the bottom of things concerning Daryl Dixon.

He got a few nods from people and then turned to go. Before he could get a foot away though, Carol’s hand landed on his and he turned to meet her soft eyes. “Go easy on him,” she said quietly and the corner of Rick’s mouth quirked upwards.

“Not making any promises,” he mumbled, just low enough for Carol to hear him and he saw her chest give a quick jump as she chuckled and turned back to the group. Rick made his way to the cellblock, his boots clipping the hard floor as he walked to the steps. He trotted up them two at a time and then headed for the last cell on the end.

Daryl had a dark green, thick wool blanket hanging over his doorway and it was pulled closed. Rick was anything if not polite so he knocked gently on the metal bars and waited. All he got in response was silence. “Daryl?” he asked quietly and waited again. And again there was no answer. Rick was almost second guessing if the hunter was even in there, so he pulled the curtain aside just a few inches and peeked in.

Sure enough, Daryl was in there, facing away from Rick with a hand pressed against the cell wall, back hunched over while his head fell forward. Rick watched as the angel wings adorning the hunter’s back moved up and down with each heavy breath he took. Rick almost wondered if the man was crying but after taking a quick look around, he realized that Daryl was just short-winded.

The loud noise they’d heard earlier had apparently been Daryl tossing things around his cell. In fact, everything seemed out of place. The thin mattress from his cot was pulled to the floor while blankets were flung into corners. Daryl didn’t have much in this small room, but what he did have had been kicked, thrown or knocked down.

Rick pressed his lips together to hold back the sigh that was threatening to escape his mouth. Stepping forward, he let the blanket fall closed behind him and the light in the cell was cut in half. Rick waited a second as his pupils adjusted and then he ran his hands through his hair before resting them on his hips. “Daryl…” he started.

“Rick, jus’ get the hell outta here.” Daryl’s voice was neutral but Rick could hear the angry undertone to it, almost a threatening sound edging in. Daryl had turned his head halfway to the side, just barely looking at Rick, but even from this angle Rick could see the irritation percolating in the man’s eyes.

“C’mon, Daryl. I’m just here to talk. Glenn and Michonne told us what happened…”

“Bet they did,” Daryl huffed out. He shifted his stance so his forearm leaned against the wall and he rested his forehead against it, slowly shaking his head back and forth. Rick almost thought he heard a wry laugh come from the hunter, but he couldn’t be sure.

“You know we’ve all been there, Daryl. It’s…it’s scary,” and Rick cursed inwardly for using that word because he knew that wasn’t even close to what Daryl wanted to hear. This was only confirmed when Daryl scoffed loudly and finally turned around to face him.

“Scary? The fuck, Rick?” Daryl practically spit his words at him. “Had three damn walkers on me…couldn’t even get my knife…Scary?!” The last word was yelled and Daryl kicked at the mattress next to his feet, throwing it further akimbo across the floor.

This time Rick did sigh, a long slow exhale of breath as he tried to find the right words to use with this man who so on edge. “You know…you know what I mean. Every single one of us has been that close. I know it can fuck with you. But you can’t let it get to you like this.” Rick gestured to the destroyed cell around him and then looked Daryl pointedly in the eye.

Apparently, that wasn’t what the hunter wanted to hear either because his eyes went from simmering anger to full on outrage. He crossed his arms, hands gripping his own biceps until his knuckles turned white, and then he started to pace the width of his cell. He walked back and forth along the same span of four feet slowly shaking his head. Rick wasn’t sure what to say, fearing that he’d only make things worse, so he stayed silent.

After a full minute, Daryl stopped in his tracks and dropped his arms. Staring down at his hands that had slowly formed into fists, he held himself firm but Rick could still see him slightly shaking in the low light. “Jus’ get the fuck out,” he muttered in quiet rage.

“No. We’re not done talking yet and the way you treated Carol wasn’t right either,” Rick protested.

“Don’t you get it?! I don’t wanna fuckin’ talk! I don’t wanna fuckin’ hold hands and sing fuckin’ kumbaya! Don’t wanna tip-toe round people’s feelings! ‘Less you wanna get knocked on your ass, then get the hell out!”

Daryl finished his rant and Rick watched as the hunter dragged in a breath and then pushed it out of his lungs with all the force he could muster. Rick hadn’t seen this man so upset since he first met him, when he told him he’d left his brother cuffed on a roof in Atlanta. There was so much pent up frustration in Daryl’s eyes, it looked like he was about to explode.

And suddenly it clicked for Rick. Daryl wanted a fight. He was separating himself from the others because he didn’t want to show them this side of himself. Daryl once told Rick that him and Merle use to fight all the time when they were kids, sometimes just for fun but other times to get the frustrations of life out. He said he’d usually end up on his ass, but sometimes he’d get the upper hand with Merle and come out on top. Either way, he said he usually felt better afterwards, like throwing a punch sent all the bad shit he’d been feeling out into the air. Like he almost felt lighter even though he was all bruised and banged up.

Daryl had told him that months ago and Rick figured that maybe fighting in the world they lived in now did the same thing and gave him the same feeling, but now that he thought about it, it probably only made things worse. A fight with a walker was a fight to the death. There weren’t any punches being thrown. There was you and your knife or you and your gun and either way you’d always want just one moment of contact to finish it. A walker doesn’t really fight back.

Rick eyed his friend and thought about everything they’d been through together. They’d saved each other’s asses more times than Rick could count. Daryl wasn’t just a friend, he was practically a brother. Definitely a member of their little family the group had built. More than that, he’d do anything for this man and to see the hunter so torn up ate at him. Rick always thought Daryl lived in this world better than any of them, but maybe Daryl was just better at hiding his hurt compared to everyone else.

No matter what, Rick wasn’t going anywhere. He stood up a little bit straighter, took a deep breath and steeled himself for what was coming. Daryl watched as Rick didn’t move an inch and his nostrils flared in outrage. “The fuck you doin’?” Daryl questioned in the most gruff, harsh voice Rick had ever heard him use. “Said get the fuck outta here!” Daryl pointed to the doorway but Rick held firm.

Daryl sneered and turned around quickly, then back around again. He walked the few short feet that separated him and gave Rick a light push. “Go! Now!” he yelled as his fingertips pushed into Rick’s chest. Rick stumbled back an inch or two but he was quick to right himself back into the same position.

“Rick…” Daryl growled in warning, his deep blue eyes taking on an almost predatory look.

“You do what you gotta do, Daryl. I’m not leaving.” Rick spoke in a quiet voice, one that he hoped reassured the man in front of him. That let him know he knew what decision he was making. Daryl’s mouth loosened from its tight scowl and his eyes softened for just a second as he slowly understood what Rick was saying. Once things had clicked into place, Daryl sucked in a deep breath before letting his expression return to its previous state and stepping forward again.

This time he pushed Rick much harder. Rick stumbled backwards and his back hit the cell bars behind him. Rick didn’t even let the pain of the metal hitting his spine sink in before he pushed himself forward and shoved Daryl just as hard.

Daryl had been expecting the push and barely moved, his legs like tree trunks with roots planted firm in the ground. He knocked Rick’s arms downward and gave his shoulders another shove, but Rick dug his heels into the floor to hold him in place. He grabbed at the collar of the flannel shirt Daryl wore underneath his vest and used all his body’s momentum to drive Daryl backwards.

The hunter hit the back wall quicker than Rick had anticipated and their bodies briefly slammed together, face to face, chest to chest, hip to hip. Daryl’s eyes widened like he hadn’t expected Rick to be this strong but he was quick to change the pace of things when he brought his leg up and yanked it around the back of Rick’s knee.

The unexpected move made Rick’s leg fall out from underneath him and Daryl took advantage of the moment to push his weight forward. The combination of both assaults had Rick falling backwards and his ass hit the hard floor with a grunt. Daryl had been gripping the front of Rick’s shirt and he gave him a hard shove with his knuckles that propelled Rick further back until he was laid flat out.

Daryl followed him down and locked his knees on either side of Rick’s legs. Then the hunter gripped his shoulders and locked his arms straight, firmly pinning Rick’s entire body to the ground. Rick clawed and grabbed at Daryl’s arms, using all the muscle strength in his body to try and knock the hunter off of him. But pulling the string back on that crossbow must take more force than Rick had imagined because Daryl’s biceps were like granite and no amount of muscle Rick used could knock the man off of him.

Rick dropped his hands to Daryl’s stomach and tried to push at the man’s center to catch him off balance, but that didn’t work either. Rick tried his chest next and then his shoulders and when that didn’t work, and since he was starting to get frustrated from being pinned down and unmovable, he gripped Daryl’s collar with one hand and yanked the other hand back, only to throw it forward and have it collide with Daryl’s cheek.

Rick froze in place as he realized that he’d just slapped the man, his palm still lightly grazing the hunter’s face. Daryl’s arms went slack for a just a second as the hit sank in. Rick honestly wasn’t sure how the other man was going to react but just as soon as he started to doubt himself, he caught the corner of Daryl’s mouth quirk just ever so slightly upward and he knew that they were okay.

Taking advantage of his surprise attack, Rick gripped the front of Daryl’s vest and yanked him sideways, effectively pulling him off and down. “Shit,” Daryl huffed out as his shoulder slammed into the ground.

Before Rick could hoist himself up though, Daryl gripped a handful of Rick’s hair and slammed his head into the floor. It wasn’t too hard but it still hurt and Rick winced with pain. “Ow! Fuck, Daryl!”

“Can’t take the pain, Officer?” Daryl teased and he lifted Rick’s head again, hitting it into the floor just as hard as before. “Ready to give up?”

“Fuck you, Dixon!” Rick replied, reeling his arm back and landing another smack onto the left side of Daryl’s face, this one a bit harder than the first. The firm flesh of Rick’s hand colliding with the hunter’s scratchy cheek seemed to light a fire within Daryl. His eyes flashed with something that Rick couldn’t read, not quite anger but not quite amusement, and the next second Daryl was the one to land a smack on Rick’s cheek.

The skin on Rick’s face seared where Daryl’s hand connected and as soon as it registered, some kind of switch turned on inside of Rick. His heartrate doubled and his stomach did a flip and the only thing Rick could seem to the think was “I wanna do that again.”

 So he did. The third slap was the hardest of them all and he delivered it swiftly, only to have Daryl reciprocate not a moment later. Rick couldn’t help himself and his lips turned upward into a half grimace-half smile. Daryl’s eyes looked slightly amused too and Rick took the chance to push the hunter onto his back so he could get the upper hand.

While he had the high ground, he took what courage he had and curled his fingers into a fist, laying a soft punch into Daryl’s lower jaw. Daryl gave a predatory growl and went to reciprocate with his own punch but Rick blocked it and slammed a fist into Daryl’s side. It wasn’t hard enough to do any real damage but the hunter grunted in mild pain anyways.

It had only been a couple minutes but Rick could already see the tension draining away from Daryl. His eyes didn’t look nearly as dark and even some of the lines in his face had relaxed away. Before he could contemplate any more on the effects that fighting had on Daryl, the hunter grabbed Rick’s wrists and yanked him forward, pulling Rick’s face close to his and throwing Rick for a loop. Mainly because he didn’t know why his stomach decided to do a backflip right at that moment.

But Daryl took advantage of their closeness by grabbing the back of Rick’s head and yanking him down to the floor, flipping their positions of power once again. Daryl’s eyes seemed to have a maniacal gleam to them as he pulled a fist back and finally threw punch into Rick’s stomach. It knocked the wind out of Rick and he gasped for a breath. As he sucked in delicious air, the hunter doled out another punch, right in the cheek, and Rick grumbled in pain.

Rick ended up putting his whole hand over Daryl’s face to push him away and give him a second to get his bearings again. He got all of three seconds before Daryl bit the fleshy part between Rick’s thumb and forefinger. “Ah! Dammit!” Rick cried out as he yanked his hand back. Even though the bite had hurt, what was more troubling to Rick was the electric jolt the bite had sent straight down to his groin. He had no clue what to make of that.

Instead of contemplating it though, Rick sent another slap right to Daryl’s face and soon there was a back and forth exchange of who had the upper hand using a variety of slapping, punching and hair pulling to do so. Soon enough though, Daryl ended up right where they started, with his arms and legs holding Rick down.

“You give?” Daryl asked and his hand flew through the air as his palm slammed into Rick’s cheek with a loud _thwack_.

“Hell no!” Rick replied and he sent a half-hearted punch into Daryl’s side. Daryl grunted softly at the assault but then he smirked.

“Gotta give in sometime, ‘specially when you keep throwin’ them lame ass punches,” the hunter commented and he shoved his hand into Rick’s face.

“You wish,” Rick muttered from behind Daryl’s calloused hand, his amused eyes peeking through the hunter’s spread fingers. Daryl started shaking his hand from left to right, jarring Rick’s senses in the process. Rick was getting dizzy so to put a halt to that he did what Daryl did to him before, he bit him. Except Rick took it a step further and took the hunter’s whole thumb into his mouth and bit him down to the knuckle.

Digging his teeth in extra hard, his tongue wrapped around the tangy, salty taste of Daryl’s skin and Rick heard a low, quick intake of breath. Opening his eyes, which he hadn’t even realized he’d closed, Rick found Daryl’s face completely slack. The hunter’s mouth was hanging slightly open while the hand that had been holding Rick down went slack. The one thing that threw Rick the most were Daryl’s eyes.

He wore the same unreadable expression from earlier when Rick had given him the second slap. Only now Rick knew what those eyes were. He knew because he felt the same thing, the same burning desire starting to build from deep within him. Truthfully, he’d felt it the moment Daryl had yanked him so close in the beginning but had tried to brush the feeling off.

Then the slapping had started to set something else off inside of him. Something Rick hadn’t felt before but what seemed to be a surge of raw aggression that he’d never been able to act upon, at least not with Lori. This was a strange, new thing to him and it was especially mind boggling because it was happening with Daryl. Rick had never been attracted to a man before in his life, but something about this moment changed things for Rick.

Maybe it was it was the position they were in or the fighting. Hell, maybe Rick had always had these feelings and he’d never been able to get this close to man before now to realize it. Either way, he was here right now, on the floor of Daryl’s cell, with the hunter on top of him, practically sucking on the man’s thumb.

Rick knew that he was halfway hard just from the blows they’d been doling out to each other, a rush of blood shooting downward every time Daryl’s palm or fist landed on his body. With a glance to the other man’s groin, Rick saw that Daryl seemed to have a very similar bulge in his pants and when he looked back up Daryl’s eyes caught his and they both seemed to be thinking the same thing.

For a split second, Rick thought about how this could change things. He could spit Daryl’s thumb out and walk out of this cell. They could act like this never happened and sure, things would be awkward for awhile but they’d smooth over eventually. Just the thought of doing that though, of never being able to get this close to Daryl again, never feeling that surge of excitement as the hunter’s fist connected with his skin, seemed like the saddest thing in the world to Rick.

So instead, Rick loosened the grip of his teeth and tightened his lips, giving the thumb a light suck and sliding his tongue against the rough pad of the finger. Daryl’s tongue darted out to brush against the edge of his bottom lip and Rick heard the rough exhale of breath from the hunter’s nose, seeing his nostrils flare slightly.

The smallest sound of a sigh slipped past Daryl’s lips as his hips instinctively rolled forward, causing his stiffening cock to brush against Rick’s. The contact ignited a rush of pleasure that pulsed through Rick’s body and he couldn’t stop the low groan that started low in his belly and finished with a humming vibration in his mouth. Daryl must’ve felt it on his thumb because he closed his eyes for a second as he pressed the finger down a little harder on Rick’s tongue.

Daryl ground himself down once more and Rick decided he couldn’t take the space between their bodies anymore. He almost yanked the hunter down but thought better of it in case he scared the man off. Instead, his mouth slackened and Daryl pulled his thumb away with eyes that almost looked disappointed.

They didn’t stay that way long though because Rick curled his body upward and brought his face close to Daryl’s. Their mouths were only an inch apart. Rick could feel the warm breath puff from Daryl’s mouth and land on his nose from their slight difference in elevation. Rick knew what he wanted but he needed to know Daryl wanted the same thing. He needed him to close the small gap between them.

Rick flicked his gaze up from Daryl’s mouth and their visions locked together, Rick’s own eyes asking the question. Daryl seemed to hesitate for only half a second before he pushed forward, his mouth locking onto Rick’s, their first kiss hot and desperate. Daryl’s hand threaded into Rick’s curls that had gotten messy during their scuffle while Rick fingers dug into Daryl’s sides, hanging on for dear life.

Their mouths fit together better than Rick would’ve ever imagined. Daryl’s firm, thin lips the perfect counter balance to Rick’s soft, full ones. Daryl drew Rick’s bottom lip into his mouth and sucked on it, giving it a hard bite that had Rick groaning into the hunter. Daryl’s tongue darted out and licked along the sensitive flesh he’d just had between his teeth, soothing Rick and making him open his mouth wide to invite Daryl in.

The hunter didn’t hesitate to taste Rick and his hands gave Rick’s hair a short tug that had Rick’s nerve endings shot to pieces. Rick dipped his hands lower and slipped them under the hem of Daryl’s shirt, inching their way up the hunter’s stomach to his chest. Daryl’s skin felt warm and smooth and Rick almost blushed when his fingertips ran across the hunter’s nipples.

Daryl started sinking his kisses lower and lower until he made his way to Rick’s neck where he found a spot that he liked, lapping, sucking, and biting at it until Rick was sure he’d have a hickey to hide. After one particularly hard bite that had Rick groaning, “Fuck…” he raked his nails down Daryl’s chest and stomach until Daryl growled and pushed him back onto the floor.

Bringing their mouths back together, Daryl’s hips slowly started to rock into Rick at a steady pace that had them both panting into one another. Rick pulled his hands free and shoved them into Daryl’s shaggy mop of hair and pulled hard, turning Daryl’s head to side so his mouth could find its way to the hunter’s ear. The tip of his tongue trailed up the lobe and around to the other side until he stuck his tongue in wiggled it around, all the while exhaling hot breath that made Daryl squirm on top of him.

“Goddammit…” Daryl rumbled. His hands had fallen to Rick’s shoulders and he gripped him tight as he rubbed his clothed erection against Rick, his hardness digging deep into the man’s hip. Rick kept up his assault of the hunter’s ear and let his hands trail down the man’s body until they reached Daryl’s hips where he held on and pushed his own hips upward, showing Daryl that he was just as hard for him.

Rick’s right hand slid from the hunter’s hip and clumsily trailed it’s way between them until Rick found what he was looking for. His fingertips traced over the very clear outline of Daryl’s long length, the denim feeling rough against his skin. He slid his hand over Daryl’s cock until he felt the hunter shiver on top of him, a gruff groan slipping past the man’s lips.

Rick turned his head and gave Daryl a quick kiss before giving him a slight push on the shoulders. Daryl took the hint and sat up enough for Rick to get both his hands on the man’s belt buckle, taking three tries before he could finally get it undone. He popped open Daryl’s pants and gingerly pulled the zipper down, getting a pleasing view of the man’s happy trail and the beginnings of what looked be a beautiful cock.

Pulling the fly to the side, Rick wrapped a hand around the base of Daryl’s cock and guided him free. Out in the open air, Daryl’s length stood at full attention and Rick felt a thrill shoot up his spine and into his chest. He’d seen the hunter change plenty of times, but he’d never seen him like this and when Rick took Daryl in his hand and gave him a full stroke from base to tip, the look on the hunter’s face was pure unadulterated bliss.

A small drop of pre-come sparkled at the tip and Rick used the pad of his thumb to rub it around the head as Daryl eyes were glued to watching Rick’s hand work. As much as Rick liked taking care of the hunter, his own erection was straining painfully in his pants and practically begging for attention. Grabbing Daryl’s hand, he guided him to the fly of his pants and hoped that the hunter would take the hint.

A glint of amusement passed through Daryl’s face before he undid Rick’s pants and pulled his cock free as well. He used his fingers to rub every inch of Rick’s rigid length and Rick was shocked he didn’t come immediately just from the sight of it. Taking Daryl back in his own hand, they started to stroke each other at the same pace, their breath quickening at the same rate.

Suddenly Daryl pulled his hand away only to lift Rick’s off his cock and bring it to his mouth. He lifted the palm towards him and spit into it, bringing it back down and then doing the very same thing to his own hand before picking back up where they left off. The added lubrication set Rick on edge and he could feel himself building.

“Shit…Daryl…” Rick puffed, his breath coming faster and faster. He trailed his unoccupied hand up Daryl’s stomach and chest until he reached the hunter’s face and cupped his cheek. As they stroked at one another, their eyes locked together, Daryl’s gaze darkening with a lust that Rick had never seen before.

Rick could feel Daryl growing harder in his grip and he so wanted to send the hunter over the edge, wanted to see the man come undone and fall the pieces right in front of him. As his thumb brushed over Daryl’s cheek, Rick suddenly had an urge that he couldn’t stop himself from acting on, after all it’s what led them to this point. Pulling his hand back, he gave Daryl a slap on the cheek. Even though it was light, it was like Rick had added coals to the fire and the hunter’s face took on a whole new level of intensity.

Daryl huffed out a breath and brought the hand that had been balancing on Rick’s chest up and didn’t hesitate to dole out the same smack to Rick. The same raw aggression that bubbled up inside of Rick from earlier came to life once again and it was like his cock got twice as hard in Daryl’s hand.

Rick served Daryl another smack and the hunter gave one right back to him, all the while their hands pumping along each other’s cocks at a maddening pace. Rick knew he was so close and his torso tensed up as his hips pumped upward into the hunter’s fist. Daryl rocked himself forward as Rick’s grip intensified and they each gave one another one last slap at the exact same time that sent them barreling over.

Daryl was the first to come with a loud grunt, “Fuck, Rick!” and he spilled down onto Rick’s hand and shirt. Watching the hunter’s face contort into the most exquisite pleasure pushed Rick into his own orgasm, squeezing his eyes shut and coming completely undone.

“Oh, fuck…oh, yea Daryl…fuck yes…” Rick cried out and he shot his load straight into the air, getting a little on Daryl, himself, and even the floor. Daryl exhaled in what sounded like relief and leaned forward, resting his forehead against Rick’s while both men caught their breath.

Once they got their panting under control and heartrates had returned to something a little more normal, Daryl swung his leg over Rick and laid down next to him. Both men stared at the dank ceiling of the hunter’s cell and while they were quiet, it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. In fact, Rick felt a little more at peace than he had in awhile.

After a few minutes, Daryl sat up and looked around his trashed cell before finding a spare towel, using it to clean himself up before handing it over to Rick. Rick tried his best to wipe everything off but figured his shirt was a lost cause. Once both men were relatively decent, they tucked themselves back into their pants and looked at one another.

Rick wasn’t really sure what to say about what’d just happened, so he said what he’d come to say earlier. “Should probably go talk to Carol. She seemed kinda upset.”

“Yea…I was a dick to her,” Daryl conceded. He bit at his thumbnail and looked at the floor before glancing back to Rick. “Guess I’ll go get it over with. Woman’ll withhold food for a week if I take too long.”

Rick cracked a smile at Daryl’s joke and they both stood, groaning as their joints cracked from all the roughhousing they’d done today. Daryl pulled back the curtain to his cell as Rick tucked the rest of his shirt in, thankful that the mess he made was hidden well enough by that. As he stepped towards the doorway, Daryl caught his hand and gave it a light squeeze. “Thanks…” the hunter mumbled. “Not jus’ for…ya know,” and he made a pumping gesture with his hand that made Rick chuckle a little louder than he intended. “But for everything. Didn’t think anybody would…understand. Shoulda known you would.”

Daryl’s eyes went downcast from such an honest confession, but Rick brought a hand to the hunter’s chin, dragging his gaze back up. “Hey, You know I’m always here for you. Probably in more ways than one now,” he said and raised his eyebrows a few times. Daryl chuckled and in the light of the doorway, Rick could see a few marks on Daryl’s face leftover from their tousle. “Might have to explain some these,” Rick said he and brushed a finger over a darkening spot on Daryl’s cheek.

“Yea…you too,” Daryl replied and he touched a spot on Rick’s neck where he was sure the hunter had left a hickey. Instead of being upset about it, Rick only smiled and pulled the collar of his shirt up a little higher. They walked out of the cell with fingers brushing and made their way to the common area, Daryl’s mood already twenty times better than when he’d walked in only an hour ago.

As they stepped past the threshold, most of the people seemed to have dispersed but Carl was quick to jump up with Judy and walk towards the two men. “Carol?” Daryl asked the young Grimes and he pointed towards the prison entryway. “See y’all later,” Daryl said with a quick nod, turning to leave but not before giving Rick a wink behind Carl’s back.

“Count on it,” Rick called out to him and then turned towards his son. Carl promptly handed Judith over and picked up his stack of comic books from the table.

“Needs a diaper change. I would’ve brought her to you ten minutes ago, when it happened, but when Carol came back from checking on you guys, she said to leave y’all alone. Something about y’all having a real heart to heart.”

“Check on us?” Rick stuttered a little.

“Yea. Came back and told me to stay here. Then she went on guard duty. It’s funny because I didn’t even think it was her turn today. Oh well.” Carl shrugged and headed off towards his own cell, leaving Rick with a slightly dumbfounded expression glued to his face. Then Rick laughed to himself because he figured that he only had a dirty diaper to deal with. Daryl was the one who had to go face the woman.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With some encouragement, I decided a part two would be fun. Hope you guys enjoy!

“Ow! Shit!” Rick grumbled as he shook the thumb on his left hand until the pain abated. That was the second time he’d hit it with the hammer as he tried to put together this damn fence. Sitting the offending tool down, he stood up and wiped the sweat from his forehead as the Georgia sun beat down on him. It was just after noon and he was practically pouring buckets.

This pig pen was going to be work and he was determined to get it built. But this day, no this week, hadn’t been friendly to him. At the start, a pack of walkers had almost taken down a whole section of fence. Everyone scrambled to get things under control but it’d taken almost an entire day to get the bodies moved and the fence reinforced.

Then Judith got a freak summer cold and was sick for days. Rick didn’t want to leave poor Beth to take care of his daughter and possibly get sick too so he stayed inside with her. Lori had always been the one to take care of Carl when he was sick as a baby, so Rick was somewhat at a loss for the first day or so. Hershel gave him a helping hand often enough but Rick barely got a few hours of sleep each day. Judith wanted to be held constantly and Rick felt like an awful father if he sat her down and she started wailing, coughing and wheezing in the process.

As soon as she started to get better though, Rick’s other child felt it was the perfect time to talk about him going out on supply runs with the others. Carl was adamant and he must’ve mentioned it to Rick three or four times before Rick finally cut him off with a firm “NO!”

His son was obviously becoming a bratty teenager though because instead of showing up this morning to help him with building the pen, Carl made an obvious show of grabbing his comic books and going off with some of the other kids. Rick decided not to press him, mainly because he was still exhausted after the events from this week.

He was regretting that now as he looked at his slightly swollen and red thumb. With a deep sigh, he picked up his water bottle and took a deep swig from it. Tilting his head back, he poured a little over his forehead and wiped away the droplets that fell into his eyes. He knew it’d be lunchtime soon but he hadn’t gotten much done so far, making him reluctant to take a break.

Off in the distance, he heard one of the gates get pulled open and he glanced over to see Michonne letting Daryl back in. Daryl must’ve gone to check the traps because he had a slew of rabbits and squirrels slung over his shoulder. The hunter had done well and he looked pretty satisfied too. Michonne smiled and gave him a pat on the back as they walked back up towards the prison.

Daryl glanced left and his eyes landed on Rick. He smirked and lifted his haul off his shoulder and into the air, giving it a little shake of triumph. Rick gave him a wave and then a thumbs up. Even though he was smiling on the inside, he couldn’t get his face to move into the same direction. His thumb ached, he was hot, and this pen wasn’t going to get built by itself.

Not to mention that Michonne threw an arm around Daryl’s shoulder as they walked inside and Rick couldn’t help the small little twist that worked its way inside of him. It’d been exactly seven days since they’d had their little moment inside Daryl’s cell, not that he’d been counting. Neither man had bothered to bring up what had happened but every other thought that flitted through Rick’s mind was about what went down in that cell.

Daryl’s fist, Daryl’s mouth, Daryl’s cock, the way the hunter’s face contorted when he came. Rick wondered if he was going to get to see that face again, and he felt like such a high school teenager when he questioned himself as to whether or not Daryl wanted the same. “Fuck…” Rick muttered as he tried to shake these musings from his tired brain.

He squeezed his four other fingers around his sore thumb and the ache that ran up his arm got his attention enough to turn back to the fence. Lining up the next post, he held it in place and picked up the hammer that he sat down only a moment ago. He centered the head over the top of the nail and pulled back to lay into the tiny piece of metal. Just as it was about to hit right where it needed to, a loud bang echoed throughout the prison yard and Rick jumped.

Instead of hitting the nail, the hammer tilted just a little to the right which was enough to send it crashing right over Rick’s thumb again. Pain splintered through him and Rick screamed out in frustration, throwing the hammer into the ground as he clutched at his throbbing appendage. “God fucking dammit!” he yelled, kicking his boot at the stupid post he was supposed to be nailing into place.

Rick whipped his head around to find the source of the noise that had caused him to miss. Off towards the prison, he saw a small puff of smoke drifting into the air around an old truck that someone had brought back a couple weeks ago. Then he saw Glenn jump out of the driver’s seat and come around to check under the hood while someone fanned away the smoke from the tailpipe.

“Fucking truck backfiring…” Rick grimaced and he started stomping towards the pathway, his boots crunching once he hit gravel. Forgetting the dull ache in his hand, all he felt was pure aggravation and annoyance. Can’t anything go right in a world where the dead walk the earth?

Walking towards the truck that Rick was now ready to roll, on fire, into a horde of walkers, Glenn turned and gave him a sheepish grin. “Oh, hey Rick. Sorry about that. Thought it was ready but maybe I’ll have to get Daryl…”

Before Glenn could finish, Rick was quick to cut him off. “Yea, maybe Daryl should be the one handling this stuff. Because I don’t think he’d let it backfire in the middle of the prison, drawing in every walker within a mile radius. Maybe you’ll take watch tonight and be sure that we don’t have a repeat of the fence problem we had a few days ago?”

Rick’s last sentence sounded more like a command than a question and Glenn knew better than to ask for clarity. He merely nodded, his face taking on a deep look of shame that Rick would probably feel guilty for later. “Yea…sure…” Glenn added and Rick gave him a curt nod before turning away.

Instead of heading back to the pen though, he moved towards the prison, his boots thudding on the concrete with each step he took. Right at the entrance, Hershel sat a picnic table with a bible open in front of him. He glanced up and gave Rick a smile, not catching on to the foul mood that Rick had fallen into. “How’s that pen coming, Rick?” the old man asked.

“Taking a break,” was Rick’s clipped response and he walked right past, not giving Hershel the chance to inquire further. Rick flung the prison door open and made his way inside, his breathing now somewhat labored as he trudged his way through the halls. Entering the common area, he found most people sitting at tables, eating the lunch that he’d been willing to skip in order to get more work done.

No one really bothered to look up when he walked in and he scanned the room until he found who he was looking for. “Carl!” Rick called out and everyone’s eyes turned towards Rick, including his son’s. Carl was sitting at a table on the far end and Rick stomped his way over, knowing full well that every ear and eye in the room would hear and see what he had to say.

Carl for the most part looked scared shitless at being called out in a room full of people. He sheepishly looked around at the kids sitting next to him before meeting his father’s eyes and practically begging Rick with an incredibly pitiful expression not to chastise him in front of this many people. At this point though, Rick couldn’t care less about who was around to see this.

“You were supposed to help me with that fence this morning, were you not?” he questioned his son with an outstretched finger.

“Yea…I guess…” Carl whispered, looking down at his empty bowl that he turned over in his hands.

“You guess or you know?” Rick asked, cocking his head to the side.

“I…I know. I was supposed to help you.”

“So, why didn’t you? What’d you do instead?” Rick questioned further, his hands planting themselves on his hips.

“I don’t know,” Carl shrugged. “I just sat around…read comics…” Carl’s whole body sagged and he looked like he wanted to fall right into the floor out of sheer embarrassment. Some people got up and went about their business but most sat stock still and watched everything unfold before them.

“Well, that really must’ve been nice. But now that you’ve had your fun, how about you go wash that bowl and then head outside and work on that pen like you told me you would?” Again, another command instead of a question and Rick received a similar affirmation that he’d gotten from Glenn.

“Yes, sir,” Carl mumbled as he got up and walked over to the dishwashing station. Rick exhaled and stood up a little bit straighter, looking around the room. People were quick to look away, glancing down at their bowls or returning to their conversations that were underway when Rick had first walked in. Rick looked around the room again, this time looking for someone different. His eyes found who he was looking for standing near the entryway to the cellblock.

Daryl leaned against the wall, eating the same lunch as everyone else. He’d been talking to Carol, who stood next to him, but now both people had their eyes on him. They both wore raised eyebrows and intrigued expressions, probably wondering what it was to set Rick off.

Weaving his way through the tables, he came upon the twosome, his eyes never leaving Daryl’s as he made his way over. Daryl looked at him curiously before Rick took the hunter’s half eaten bowl and unceremoniously placed it in Carol’s unoccupied hands. Her face contorted into confusion but Rick barely even registered it. Instead, his hand wrapped around Daryl’s left elbow and he gently pulled the hunter away.

“Need to talk to you,” was all he said as he half-dragged the man into the cellblock. He let go, albeit somewhat unwillingly, once he knew that the hunter was following him. As they walked towards the stairs, Rick heard Carol call out behind him. “Don’t leave any marks this time,” and he almost smiled.

Once they reached his intended destination, Daryl’s cell, Rick stepped in before Daryl and held the curtain open for him, letting it fall closed once they were both inside. Rick didn’t waste a second as he stepped towards the hunter, closing him in against a wall and bringing his hands to rest on Daryl’s hips.

And Daryl didn’t waste a second in slapping Rick’s hands away. Rick’s brows knitted together in uncertainty, wondering if the hunter was refusing him. His heart clenched up at the thought and he almost turned around and walked right out. Before he could jump that far though, Daryl murmured, “You ain’t earned that yet…Officer.”

The way Daryl’s gritty voice curled around the word Officer had Rick growing in his pants already and he hadn’t even gotten his lips on the man yet. Rick was quick to bring his hands up and curl his fists into Daryl’s shirt, sliding his body against the hunter’s and leaning in close. He inhaled deeply into the man’s neck and smelled everything that was Daryl Dixon. A raw scent of woods, motor oil, and something else that Rick couldn’t quite pinpoint. God, if he could bottle the smell and sprinkle it on his pillow every night, he would.

“Didn’t think I’d need to,” Rick replied and he gave his hips the slightest push forward, already feeling the reciprocating erection that Daryl had coming to life inside his own jeans. Suddenly, he felt Daryl’s hands on his ass, giving him a hard squeeze before letting go and then trailing up his back and neck until finally landing in his hair.

Daryl’s hands were gentle until they weren’t, fisting themselves into Rick’s curls and pulling hard. Rick grunted and turned his head until his lips were just close enough to reach Daryl’s mouth. Right as he was about to plant a searing kiss on the hunter, Daryl’s mouth leapt forward and his teeth caught Rick’s lower lip.

He bit hard, maybe hard enough to even draw blood, and Rick should’ve been in pain but instead he had to hold back a groan of pleasure. When Daryl’s mouth let go, so did his grip on Rick’s head and his hands fell down to land over Rick’s that still held tight to the hunter’s shirt. Rick watched as Daryl’s mouth curled into a smirk before he said, “You always gotta earn it,” and then he yanked at Rick’s hands and pushed him back as hard as he could.

Rick wasn’t expecting the move and he fell all the way back to the other side of the cell, landing with an _oompf_. Daryl lunged forward next but Rick saw that coming and pushed off the wall to meet him in the middle. Both men gripped each other’s shoulders, the fabric of the shirts twisting in their hands as each one tried to gain the upper hand.

Pushing forward with all his force in order to pin Daryl back to the wall, Rick was surprised when Daryl twisted to the side and used Rick’s momentum against him. In a second, he had them flipped around and Rick was now the one pinned to the wall. Daryl planted a leg in between Rick’s and then gripped his wrists incredibly tight, dragging them upwards until they were above Rick’s head.

“Sorry…” Daryl said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Ya said wanted to talk to me?” The hunter’s deep blue eyes twinkled in mild amusement. “Go ‘head. Shoot.” Rick rolled his eyes and tried to keep his mouth from curving up into a grin. Instead, he looked up at his wrists and tried to yank them free. When that didn’t work, damn Daryl and his amazing biceps, he tried to drive the man crazy by pushing his hips forward.

His erection rubbed against hunter’s and Rick could feel him growing harder against his hip. Daryl’s eyes grew dark for a second and he bit his lip before leaning his body forward, pushing even tighter into Rick and effectively holding the man’s hips in place. He was still getting a little friction from the hunter, but not as much as before and he almost whimpered in disappointment.

“Sorry, Officer,” Daryl said and Rick could swear he almost heard the man go _tsk._ “Need ya to tell me just what it is ya want…”

“Fuck, Daryl,” Rick growled in frustration. Daryl only gave him a wicked grin with mischievous eyes and leaned forward. His lips neared Rick’s and Rick thought he was finally going to get what he wanted but when their mouths were only a hair apart, Daryl whipped his head around to Rick’s neck and gave him a sharp bite. “Jesus Christ…” Rick groaned. He leaned his head to the side, giving Daryl more room to work with as his eyes flitted between open and shut.

Instead of working in one spot, Daryl flipped around to the other side of Rick’s neck and bit him just as hard there. Then, he went slightly lower and bit the man’s collar bone. Next, he jumped higher and bit at Rick’s scruffy jawline. Each bite sent of shockwave of pleasure throughout Rick’s body, every wave eventually leading right back to his cock that was now begging for some attention.

The last bite found its way to Rick’s earlobe and at this angle Rick had the perfect opening to get to Daryl’s own ear. Rick remembered how much the hunter seemed to enjoy it last time and decided to take his chance. Rather than biting, Rick’s tongue darted right for Daryl’s ear, flicking and wiggling its way around until Rick heard the hunter’s sharp intake of breath.

Rick didn’t let up and only a second later felt the grip on his wrists start to lighten as Daryl got lost in the sensation of Rick’s tongue. Rick took his opportunity to swiftly pull his wrists down and twist his fingers into Daryl’s mess of hair. Pulling tight, he turned Daryl’s head until their lips were smashed together, both men falling into a feverish kiss.

Daryl bit at Rick’s lip again until Rick’s mouth parted and he felt the hunter’s tongue dip inside, tasting a mixture of tobacco and rabbit stew. As they kissed, Rick pushed his body forward, scooting Daryl back until they’d made it all the way to the other side of the cell. With Rick having the upper hand now, he didn’t waste any time in rolling his hips into Daryl’s, creating the sweetest friction between them.

Daryl moaned lightly into Rick’s mouth and lifted his hands to Rick’s hips from where they’d fallen to his sides in the last shift of power. The hunter gripped at the bottom of Rick’s shirt and pulled up, yanking the tails free from where they’d been tucked in. Daryl was quick to get a feel of Rick’s skin, slipping his hands under the shirt and up Rick’s back.

Rick wanted just as much contact and finally loosened his grip on the hunter’s hair, trailing his hands down to the front of Daryl’s flannel, sleeveless button-up. Having no patience, Rick’s fingers hooked around one side of the opening and then the other, pulling the shirt open in one fail swoop. Daryl broke their kiss to look down and the man’s eyes narrowed as he growled, “Fucking dickhead.”

Rick couldn’t help but grin as his hands ran up and down the hunter’s torso. “Yea, I got one of those,” he teased and then circled his pelvis into Daryl’s. Rick scraped his nails down Daryl’s stomach until he reached the waistband of his jeans, dropping one hand to trail fingertips over the long, clearly defined length in the hunter’s pants.

“Mmm…” Daryl purred, letting his hands travel down Rick’s back until he reached his ass. He gave it a nice squeeze before drifting his hands to the front of Rick’s pants, quickly undoing the belt, button and zipper. His hand slid inside Rick’s underwear, going straight to Rick’s hard cock. He wrapped his fingers around the smooth skin of the shaft and gave him a firm squeeze that had Rick drawing in a sharp breath.

“Oh, shit…” Rick sighed, his head falling forward until his brow met with Daryl’s. His own hand rubbed even harder against the hunter’s still clothed erection as his hips jerked forward into Daryl’s palm. Rick was dying for Daryl to stroke him and he turned his head to bring their lips together.

Daryl’s hand held firm but still and instead of letting Rick kiss him, he tilted his jaw downward, keeping his mouth just out of reach. “Uh-uh,” Daryl whispered and Rick could feel the minute shake of the hunter’s head. “Tell me, Rick.”

Rick snarled in frustration and his hands gripped the hunter’s waist for dear life. “Fuck…you fucking tease…” Rick half-whined, pushing his hips forward to get some friction only for Daryl’s hand to stay in the exact same spot. “I fucking want you. That what you wanna hear? I wanna taste every inch of you. I wanna make you come. I…I wanna see that pretty mouth wrapped around my cock. Wanna see what my come looks like on your lips…”

Rick knew he was probably blushing something fierce as he spoke but Daryl’s eyes turned darker with each word he said aloud, making him unable to stop. When he finally finished, Daryl rewarded him with a long, slow stroke from base to tip that practically had Rick weeping with joy. When his hand stilled at the head of Rick’s cock, his mouth quirked up in one corner and he asked, “How ya gonna get me down there?”

Rick smiled at the challenge and brought his lips to Daryl’s, this time the hunter didn’t bother to turn away. Still hanging onto the sides of Daryl’s shirt, Rick yanked him forward and then rotated their bodies until his own back landed flat against the cell wall. Daryl smirked into his mouth before Rick pulled away, breaking their kiss to try his next maneuver.

Daryl had taught Rick a lot of things: how to tie knots, how to set traps, how to skin just about any kind of animal. Right now though, Rick was most grateful that Daryl showed him how to get a man to his knees. Pulling the same move that the hunter had put on him only a week earlier, he wrapped a leg around to the back of Daryl’s knee and pulled forward. Rick had already brought his hands to Daryl’s shoulders and as the hunter’s weight dropped out from underneath him, he combined that with pushing downward and within seconds Daryl’s head was level with Rick’s crotch.

Weaving a hand into Daryl’s hair, he said, “I think that worked pretty nicely, don’t you? Thanks for showing me that, by the way.” Rick gave the hunter a wink and Daryl only rolled his eyes in amusement before bringing his hands to Rick’s waist. In what seemed like an excruciatingly long time, Daryl pulled Rick’s pants and underwear down his hips, inch by slow inch until Rick’s cock bobbed free.

Daryl looked at for a good ten seconds and Rick was just about to tell him he didn’t have to do anything before the hunter’s hand wrapped around him again and started to stroke him. Rick’s breathing staggered a bit and Daryl’s eyes looked up, watching Rick like he couldn’t get enough of seeing the man come undone under his skilled hands. “Never done this ‘fore…” Daryl said quietly.

“S’okay. You don’t…oh, shit! Oh, God…Daryl…” Rick bit out as the hunter’s warm, wet mouth engulfed half of his length. Rick’s head was threatening to tilt back and practically fall off his shoulders if his eyes weren’t so determined to watch the hunter’s mouth wrap around his cock. Rick had never seen anything so hot in whole life and his hands fell away to his sides as he tried to hold back the heavy moans that threatened to pour out from the back of his throat.

Daryl pulled off with a pop, enough to make Rick’s hips jump forward, and he slid his hands up Rick’s shirt covered torso. Deciding to give Rick the same treatment, he yanked open Rick’s shirt front and pulled it to the sides, sliding his hands along Rick’s bare skin. “Goddamn, Rick…” Daryl mumbled as his eyes drank in Rick’s body.

Once his hands slid along Rick’s hips, he brought his mouth back to the head of Rick’s cock and held it there, the tip of tongue just barely teasing the slit. Daryl grabbed Rick’s right hand and brought it back to his head, forcing the fingers to curl into his hair and he looked up at Rick and waited.

Rick finally understood that the hunter wanted to be guided and his hand took a firm hold of the hunter’s head, slowly pushing his lips down onto his cock. He got about halfway before pulling his head back, feeling Daryl’s tongue swirl around the tip. Grabbing one of the hunter’s hands that still rested on his hip, he wrapped the fingers around him at the base and showed him to stroke the part that his mouth couldn’t reach.

Slowly, he worked Daryl’s mouth up and down while the hunter worked his hand in time with his lips and tongue. Little moans and sighs slipped their way past Rick’s lips and he tried to memorize every single detail of this moment because he knew it was going to replay in his head every ten minutes for at least the next month. “Fuck…” Rick cried as he steadily worked Daryl’s mouth onto him, building himself closer and closer to the edge.

Then, Daryl pulled his mouth off Rick and looked up at him through a few pieces of dark hair that had fallen forward. “C’mon Rick. You ain’t gonna break me.” Daryl’s words were gruff and almost like another challenge, one that Rick couldn’t say no to. So he pushed Daryl’s hand away that still held onto his ever-hardening cock and then threaded both hands into the hunter’s hair, holding the man’s head firmly in place.

“Don’t move,” was all Rick said and then brought the tip of his length to Daryl’s parted lips. His mouth opened willingly and Rick pushed forward. Rocking his hips back and forth, he started to fuck Daryl’s mouth and the hunter groaned around his cock, shooting the vibrations all the way up Rick’s shaft. Daryl rested his hands on Rick’s hips and did as he was told, not moving an inch as Rick picked up speed.

“Oh, God…” Rick panted as he pushed deeper and deeper into the hunter’s hungry mouth. His cock was almost completely swallowed past Daryl’s lips and Rick was half worried he was gagging the man. But he was too far gone, almost to his peak, to care. “Fuck, Daryl…I’m gonna…” and after three more rough thrusts he started to spill into the hunter’s mouth.

Daryl pulled back and brought his hand to Rick’s cock, stroking his orgasm out of him while he held his mouth open. Rick watched as streams of white spurted onto Daryl’s tongue and lips. “Goddammit…” he groaned as he watched the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen.

As soon as his cock finished, Rick twisted one hand into Daryl’s hair and one onto the shoulder of his shirt and yanked the man up off his knees. As he stood, Rick claimed his mouth over Daryl’s and kissed him deeply, savoring the way Daryl’s tongue tasted with him all over it.

As they kissed, Daryl yanked his own pants open, freeing his straining cock, and started to rut his hips into Rick. His hard length glided along Rick’s hip and stomach and Rick’s hands trailed down to slip inside the hunter’s pants and grab his ass. Daryl’s lips broke away and he buried his face into Rick’s neck, sliding his arms around the man’s shoulders and holding tight. “Shit…Rick…” Daryl panted.

Rick wiggled his hands until Daryl’s pants slid down, exposing them to the air. He gave Daryl a tight squeeze before pulling one hand back and landing his palm on Daryl’s ass cheek with a loud _smack_. Daryl groaned and pushed his hips even harder into Rick. “You like that?” Rick asked, giving the hunter’s ear a quick lick before drawing his hand back and doling out another quick _smack_.

“Oh, fuck…” was Daryl’s only response as he kept pumping himself against Rick.

“You gonna come for me like this?” _Smack._ “You gonna mark me? Make me yours?” _Smack._ “Make it so I smell you on me for the rest of the day ‘til I can’t take it anymore and gotta jerk off thinking ‘bout you?” Now, Rick laid down the hardest smack of all and Daryl jerked his hips roughly into Rick.

“Fuck…fuck…fuck…” Daryl grunted loudly, only muffling the sound slightly as he held his mouth to Rick’s neck. Rick felt warmth spilling onto his stomach and held Daryl tightly to him as he rocked his body into the hunter’s. “Shit…” the hunter sighed once he finished, finally letting go of the death grip he’d been using on Rick’s back as he came.

Pulling his head back, Daryl’s face had an almost drunk grin spread across it and Rick couldn’t help but kiss the man. Their tongues danced lazily against one another until they both broke apart for some air, Rick still smelling the scent of his come on Daryl’s mouth. Daryl pulled his body back and looked around, eventually grabbing an old shirt that he used to wipe himself off and then tossing it to Rick.

Rick cleaned himself up, grateful that they hadn’t gotten his shirt messy this time. As they started to button back up, Daryl rubbed a hand on his butt and grimaced a little. “Damn, think you left a hand print back there.”

Rick chuckled and shrugged, looking only slightly guilty. “Sorry…I’d say it won’t happen again, but…well, let’s just say I’m not making any promises.”

“Yea…” Daryl replied as he finished closing his belt. “Guess I’m glad we can be each other’s punching bags.” His tone was light but his eyes stayed glued to the floor and Rick knew he was saying more than that, almost asking a question.

“Hey,” Rick said and he walked up to Daryl. He grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze until the hunter finally looked him in the eye. “I don’t want to be just…that. I mean I like it…I really fucking like it,” Rick’s eyes widened and Daryl snorted out a small laugh. “But I’d like us to be more than that. Hell, I spent most of this past week wondering when we were going to be together again. My shitty mood just helped things along today because I was too chicken shit to do anything on my own.”

Daryl sighed and nodded, scratching at his chin absentmindedly. “Yea…guess I was too. But, I do…want more.” Daryl pursed his lips and looked away nervously.

“Good,” Rick replied and he smiled. Leaning forward, he brushed his lips against Daryl’s until the hunter kissed him back. A sweet, soft kiss that promised more where that came from. “Could’ve used you this week. It’s been hell.”

“Yea, and looks like Carl caught the worst of it,” Daryl said, giving Rick a look that said he’d been an ass to his son.

“Ah…shit…” Rick sighed, rubbing a hand over his tired face as both men walked out of Daryl’s cell. “Glenn, too. You should probably go help him with that truck. I kinda blew him out over it backfiring earlier. I’ll have to make it up to him.” 

“Alright. Go take care of Carl first. See you later,” Daryl said as they stepped outside into the heat. He gave Rick a small wink and a squeeze on his arm that no one would question but Rick knew what it meant. Rick smiled at the hunter before making his way down to the pen where Carl was struggling to get a post to stand still.

“Hey, son,” Rick called out and he ran up to help hold it in place while Carl grabbed a hammer and nail.

“Hey,” Carl replied morosely. He didn’t even look at his father, his public reprimand obviously still fresh on his mind.

“Look, I’m sorry about how I handled things earlier. This week’s been rough and I shouldn’t have talked to you that way in front of everyone. I know you’ve been trying hard to take on more responsibility and I appreciate it. And…I’ll think about letting you go on the next supply run.”

Carl’s eyes brightened up as soon as he heard his father’s last words. “Really? You mean it? You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”

“I mean it,” Rick assured, patting Carl on the shoulder. “I can’t keep treating you like a kid, no matter how hard I want you to not grow up. But you’ve got to stick to your responsibilities too. Not blow them off when you don’t get what you want.” Rick looked pointedly at the half built pen around them and Carl nodded sheepishly.

“Yea, I’m sorry about that. I should’ve come out here this morning. I’ll try not to do it again.”

“Good. Now let’s get this going,” Rick said and he held the post so Carl could get ready with the hammer.

“Dad, what happened to your shirt?” Carl asked curiously. Rick looked down and realized that at least three buttons were missing and he hadn’t even realized it as he’d gotten redressed in Daryl’s cell.

“Huh…I don’t know…” Rick shrugged, trying to hide the flush creeping up his neck. “Here, let me see that hammer. You hold this for me,” and Rick grabbed the tool from his son as he quickly got to work, cursing himself and Daryl for being so careless. Then he chuckled a little because he knew Daryl was probably missing a few buttons too.


End file.
